The highly anticipated “The Last Of Us” series starring “Narcos” star Pedro Pascal has finally hit the streaming services. The series is inspired by the videogame of the same name, published by Naughty Dog. Shortly after being released, critics and gamers deemed the title one of the best games ever made. In the latest series, Pedro Pascal walks in the shoes of “Joel Miller,” a bitter and inexpressive man who is on a mission to smuggle a teenage girl, Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey), to a group dubbed the “Fireflies” for a big prize. With that being said, here’s a complete character breakdown of Joel from “The Last of Us.”
A Broken And Bitter Man
At the outset of the series, we see Joel as a broken man who has given up on his morals and principles after the tragic death of his daughter Sarah. Joel’s sadness, it seems, has been hidden for the last two decades by his determination to ensure survival in a population of unfriendly, deceptive individuals, where doing so requires resorting to bloodshed and violence. The death of his daughter has left Joel wanting just one thing. Becoming a guardian provided Joel with the motivation he needed to keep going beyond just guaranteeing his own safety. He was happy and, in some way, believed that things would get better, and the sun would again shine on them, but after losing Sarah, Joel lost that drive too. But everything changed after he encountered Ellie.
Joel and his partner are tasked with smuggling Ellie safely out of the city’s limits. Ellie has been bitten days before Joel finds him, but for some reason, she’s immune to the virus, and that’s why the “Fireflies’ ‘ want her so badly. They believe Ellie might be the only way to cure, if not subdue, the madness that has swept the world, and they are willing to pay Jeol to bring her to them. After some preliminary hesitation, Joel agrees. After so many years, he is now responsible for a little girl of the same age as his late daughter, Sarah. He attempts to mask the ongoing pain of Sarah’s passing, but his nonverbal gestures and limited, quiet, reserved speech gave it away. When he first meets Ellie, Joel has a challenging time getting along with her. Joel initially distrusts Ellie, but she earns his confidence and friendship over time. Gradually, Joel develops a father-daughter bond with Ellie, who reminds him of his late Sarah. During the journey, his softer side emerges from the shadows of remorse, sorrow, and suffering that have haunted him for the last twenty years.
According to the showrunner, the “Last of Us” series will stay loyal to the source materials, i.e., the videogame produced by Naughty Dog. The researchers of Fireflies share no regard for Ellie; as for them, she’s just a lab rat they could handcuff to a chair to conduct experiments. In the video game, Joel learns that there’s no way to synthesize a vaccine without killing Ellie. He is informed by the doctors that the fungus takes charge of the infected individual by colonizing the cerebellum. Unfortunately, the Firefly physicians have no choice but to extract Ellie’s brain in order to eradicate the infection. The news is heartbreaking, and Joel decides to save Ellie, as he can’t afford to lose her, too, like he lost Sarah. Joel is left with no choice but to kill all the scientists and run away with Ellie. When faced with the choice between protecting the existence of a civilization that intends to murder defenseless teenage individuals like Sarah, Joel chooses to protect Ellie, who has taken Sarah’s place. Joel is ready to gamble the lives of the entire species just to protect Ellie.
OK, so here’s the deal. By averting Ellie’s death, he restores some of his humanism; however, he may have diminished that in light of his homicidal record. He doesn’t want to subject himself to the agony of remembering Sarah’s tragic loss. He risks his life to protect the one he cares about most on this ruined planet. He also guarantees the end of mankind. The researchers inform him that nobody else has been proven to be resistant to the sickness.
Not A Regular Hero
Joel isn’t just your average protagonist. To put it simply, he is a human being, and as such, he is neither virtuous nor wicked. Judgment and rage are in his arsenal, but so is an overflowing reservoir of compassion for those who prove themselves worthy. Though he’s toughened up, his relationship with Ellie has mellowed him down. Since he is concerned about Ellie, Joel is willing to resort to extreme measures, even cruelty, to get the answers he requires. Despite of how strange it may seem, this is a type of aggression motivated by a father’s affection and concern for his child.
See more: ‘The Last Of Us’ Release Date And Where Can You Stream In India?
